A downside to sterling silver is that it can tarnish and turn your jewelry piece dark or even black. Many people choose not to buy silver jewelry for this reason. Tarnish is surface corrosion caused by sulfur compounds in the air. Prolonged exposure to air, humidity, sun, and certain chemicals can all cause jewelry to tarnish. The time it takes a piece to tarnish depends on the conditions it is worn and stored in. Some pieces may start to tarnish in a few days, some may take years to show any signs of tarnish.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent or to slow the tarnishing process. Put on your jewelry AFTER you have finished your beauty routine including putting on makeup and doing your hair. That way you avoid getting chemicals from the makeup, hairspray, and perfume on your jewelry, chemicals that may speed up the tarnishing process. When you take your jewelry off at night you can gently rub the piece with a soft cloth. If you feel like the jewelry has been exposed to many chemicals throughout the day you can soak the piece in warm water with detergent and gently brush it with a soft toothbrush. Make sure is fully dry before storing it. If you are not going to wear the piece for a while store it properly. You don’t want it just sitting on top of your dresser exposed to the elements. You can store it is a soft cloth bag or in a jewelry box that is lined with velvet. You can also purchase anti tarnish strips which you can put in the little bag or jewelry box. They are available at many large retailers or online. Here is one online source.

Sometimes, even if you are doing everything correctly your jewelry might still become dull. There are many ways to clean sterling silver jewelry including many products you can buy to help keep your silver jewelry sparkly. I am not a fan of these products. They smell terrible and can be caustic. You should never use these kinds of cleaners if your jewelry contains soft stones like opals, pearls, shell. The chemicals in the cleaner will damage these kinds of stones. I prefer more natural methods of cleaning your silver jewelry. You can clean it with things you probably have in your pantry already. 

Aluminum Foil and Baking Soda

Was science your favorite class? This method uses a chemical reaction to clean the tarnish off of your sterling silver jewelry. Line a heat proof dish or bowl with aluminum foil. I use glass or Pyrex because it stands up to the heat of the boiling water well. Place the jewelry piece on the foil. It needs to be touching the foil. I sometimes take smaller pieces of foil and wad them up and set them around the piece so more of it is in contact with the foil. Sprinkle baking soda on top of the piece you are cleaning and cover the piece with boiling water. The piece of jewelry needs to be fully submerged in the water. Leave it rest for 15 to 20 minutes until the water cools.  Then you can rinse it off with cool water and dry it with a soft lint free cloth. If the piece was really tarnished, you can lightly brush it with a soft toothbrush. Again, do this after the water has cooled.

Lemon Juice and Salt

Lemon juice is acidic, and salt is abrasive the perfect combination to get rid of tarnish.  You will need lemon juice, salt, a small bowl, a soft lint free cloth and possibly a soft toothbrush. Make a paste using equal parts salt and lemon juice. Using the cloth gently rub the piece of jewelry to remove the tarnish. If the tarnish is stubborn or if there are crevices or prongs on the piece you can take a soft toothbrush to work the paste into those areas. Rince with cool water and thoroughly dry.

Vinegar and Baking Soda

This is another acidic solution you can use to clean your sterling silver jewelry. The baking soda is less abrasive than the salt in the method above. Gather vinegar, baking soda, bowl, soft lint free cloth and optionally a soft toothbrush. Mix one part vinegar with two parts baking soda. You can start to clean your silver piece right away using the cloth to rub the solution on, however, I usually soak the piece in the solution for about ten minutes to loosen the tarnish before using the cloth. Make sure to rinse the piece with cool water and dry it before storing. You can use a cloth to dry it or a hair dryer on a low setting.

These are just three of the many ways to clean your sterling silver jewelry with products that you have around the house. These methods are very cost effective, natural and safe. They will bring the sparkle back to your favorite piece of sterling silver jewelry.  One word of caution. If the jewelry has soft and easily damaged stones incorporated into the design, be extra careful. I use a lot of pearls, shell, mother of pearl, and other natural elements in my silver jewelry designs. When I clean the pieces, I am extra careful to avoid rubbing the solutions onto the stones. The abrasiveness of the salt and baking soda can scratch the stones. If you are at all worried, I suggest taking the piece to a jeweler that has an ultrasonic cleaning machine.

Wearing your jewelry often and caring for it and storing it properly will keep it bright for a long while before you have to clean it again. Thank you for reading my article. Please leave any comment in the comments section. Thank you for supporting artists and local businesses!

This is Rosemont Winery’s biggest event every year and features over 30 artists. The event also features music, food truck, and, of course, wine! The event is free to attend. Wine tasting is $15 and includes a free wine glass. For more on the event see the Rosemont Winery website.

Something Fishy Jewelry

Something Fishy Jewelry is made by hand in Brodnax, Virginia with love, care, and a sense of whimsy. Most pieces are one-of-a-kind and are made from the finest materials including sterling and fine silver, copper, Swarovski crystals, pearls, semi-precious gemstones, and the finest glass beads from around the world.

Rosemont Winery is near Lake Gaston and many of my designs are water themed. I use beach glass, shells, pearls, MOP, and semi-precious stones in beachy colors to make necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Many of my focal beads are lake/ocean inspired. Fish, shells, starfish, sea horses, anchors and more. My passion is sterling silver wire jewelry which I create free form using just a pliers.

Please join us for an afternoon of fine wine, food, music, and art, including my hand made jewelry!

1. Designing your Handmade Sterling Silver Jewelry:

The first step in creating custom sterling silver jewelry is conceptualizing your design. Begin by sketching your ideas on paper or utilizing digital design tools to visualize your vision. Consider the overall style, such as minimalist, bohemian, or vintage, and think about the specific elements you want to incorporate, such as gemstones, intricate engravings, or unique shapes. Keep in mind the wearability and functionality of the piece while balancing it with artistic expression.

2. Gathering Materials:

Once you have a clear design in mind, it’s time to gather the necessary materials. Start with high-quality sterling silver wire or sheet metal, which can be sourced from reputable jewelry suppliers or online stores. Sterling silver typically consists of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper, ensuring durability and strength while retaining the metal’s brilliant shine.

3. Tools and Equipment:

To bring your design to life, you’ll need a set of jewelry-making tools. Some essential tools for working with sterling silver include:

• Jewelers saw: Used for precise cutting of metal.
• Files: Used for shaping and smoothing metal edges.
• Pliers: Including round-nose, chain-nose, and flat-nose pliers for bending and manipulating wire.
• Soldering equipment: A small torch, soldering board, and flux for joining metal components.
• Polishing materials: Such as polishing cloths or buffing wheels to achieve a high shine.

4. Fabrication Techniques:

There are various techniques you can employ to create sterling silver jewelry. Some popular methods include:

• Cutting and shaping: Use a jeweler’s saw and files to cut out your desired shapes from the silver sheet or wire.
• Soldering: Join different metal components together using solder, a metal alloy with a lower melting point than sterling silver. It is essential to follow proper safety precautions while working with a torch.
• Texturing and engraving: Add visual interest to your design by using hammers, stamps, or engraving tools to create patterns or personalized messages.
• Stone setting: If your design incorporates gemstones, learn about different stone-setting techniques, such as bezel or prong settings, to securely hold the stones in place.

5. Finishing and Polishing:

Once your jewelry piece is assembled, it’s time to refine and polish it to perfection. Begin by filing any rough edges or imperfections and then proceed to sanding and buffing. Utilize progressively finer grits of sandpaper or polishing compounds to achieve a mirror-like finish. Take care not to remove excessive material, especially if you desire specific textures or engravings.

6. Adding Final Touches:

To complete your custom sterling silver jewelry, consider additional embellishments. You may choose to add patinas or oxidizing agents to enhance the depth and contrast of your design. Alternatively, you can incorporate other elements such as pearls, beads, or charms to further personalize your piece.

And finally….

Creating custom sterling silver jewelry is a rewarding endeavor that allows you to showcase your creativity while crafting timeless pieces that resonate with your personal style. From the initial design to the final finishing touches, each step is an opportunity to infuse your jewelry with your unique vision and craftsmanship. So, embrace your creativity, gather your tools, and let the brilliance of sterling silver shine through your one-of-a-kind creations.

Click here for examples of our handmade sterling silver jewelry

Buy jewelry making tools here

Monday, February 17 is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. It was started in Denver Colorado in 1995 and quickly spread throughout the world. The idea is actually quite simple. When you are kind to people it makes them feel good AND it makes you feel good. It is actually good for your health releasing dopamine and oxytocin into your system and kindness spreads. When you do something nice or even simply smile at a stranger they feel good and are more likely to turn around and do something nice for someone else and so on. I think we all know in our hearts how to be kind we just need to focus on it on a day to day basis…but if you need some ideas…

There are the obvious and popular “acts of kindness”…

• Pay for the coffee or the meal for the person that is behind you in line at the coffee house or fast food restaurant.
• Plug a quarter into a parking meter that is about to expire.
• Bring a treat to work…cookies, muffins, etc…
• Take a friend to lunch…just because.
• Write an actual letter, on paper, to someone telling them why they matter to you and actually send it.
• Give up your seat on the bus or train to someone who needs it.
• Allow someone in front of you in line at the grocery store or bank.
• Mow your neighbors lawn or shovel their sidewalk…depending on the weather where you live.
• Take your friend’s kids for an hour or two so she can take a nap.

But what are some other ways that maybe you could more “present” during your “Act of Kindness Day”? Really see people and engage with them, something we rarely do any more. Try smiling at at least ten strangers. Catch their eye and actually just smile at them. Commit yourself to at least just for this day to actually engage with every person who serves you today. Whether you are getting a coffee, or a fast food meal, picking up your dry cleaning, cashing a check at the bank…put away your phone, take a second, look the person who is serving you in the eye and genuinely say “Thank you” to them. Smile at them and tell them to have a great day. They will be pleased because so few people actually pay attention to them anymore. Try to find something that like about the people you interact with today and compliment them on it…no matter how small. Maybe you like the color of their sweater or the way they spoke to their small child. Just make sure it is genuine. If you aren’t shy try to compliment strangers. Ask someone a question or for advice and actually LISTEN to them. Really listen. Don’t interrupt them, and don’t think about your response…just listen.

Be creative, think outside the box. What can you do to be kind?  Write your favorite quotes on index cards, draw funny little pictures, or draw beautiful little pictures, or just write out words of encouragement and leave them places…on public bulletin boards, on park benches, on the mirror in a public restroom, hide them in library books…anywhere someone may find them. You will definitely make someones day. Do something silly just to make someone laugh. Make a silly face at a child in line at the store, sing at the top of your lungs in a public place even if you can’t sing, tell a stranger a silly joke just try to make someone smile. Do you live somewhere that has a homeless population?  Buy as many bus or train passes as you can afford, or gift cards to the closest coffee shop or grocery store and hand them out to the homeless. Do you have today off? Volunteer somewhere. Read to people in an assisted care facility, do a shift at your local food pantry or soup kitchen. 

National Acts of Kindness Day was started to make people conscious about being kind. Being kind is something we should strive to be every day but especially today be kind, spread kindness. It will spread and will make you feel amazing!

Bone Buddha Bracelet with silver beads. $38

Cyber Monday is here! Time to sit in your jammies all day, or if you are at work pretend you are working, and shop online all day long! I have been in a bracelet making mode…bracelets, bracelets, bracelets! I absolutely love making and wearing bracelets. You will usually find me wearing a big messy stack of mixed bracelets. Fine sterling silver bracelets mixed with stretchy stone bracelets…I just love bracelets! There are not a lot of bracelets in my online store so I have pictured them in this post. So here are my Cyber Monday deals. I will give you 10% off the bracelet of your choice, free priority shipping in the US and if you spend over $100 I will give you a free pair of earrings or one of my custom name bracelets free! Email me (fish@somethingfishyjewelry.com) or message me on my facebook page. I will honor these deals through Friday at midnight.

Red Jade and sterling silver bracelet with heart charm. $40

So sit back, relax, and SHOP!

Sterling silver and light pink coral bracelet.$34

There are so many ways that you can support local businesses and your local economy. Eat at a mom and pop diner instead of a fast food chain. Stop by your local coffee house for your morning cappuccino instead of the drive thru at McDonalds or Starbucks. Find your local farmer that sells meat, eggs, and produce directly to consumers and purchase the fixings for your holiday feast from them. Find your local Christmas Tree Farm and buy your tree and decorations from them. The small shops and boutiques on your main street would love to supply you with all of the gifts, cards, and wrapping you need. Heck…many of them will probably wrap the gifts for you. Everywhere you look there are wineries, breweries, and distilleries popping up. You can surely find all of the adult beverages you need for your next holiday party through them. I think you get the picture. Is it easier to sit in your office or living room and buy everything from Ebay or Amazon? Sure. Is it more convenient to stop by your local big box retailer and buy everything there. Yes. But to these giant retailers you are just a number, a dollar sign, or a statistic. Small retailers go out of their way to get and keep your business. They will keep track of your wife’s size and what her favorite items are. They can and will knowledgeably teach you about the best wine, beer, and spirits for your party. They will be more likely to wrap gifts for you. It is 4:30 on Christmas Eve and you forgot to buy a present for your niece, babysitter, neighbor…they will keep the shop open late so you can run in and grab a last minute present. They may even drop it off by you on their way home…or, as I have done more than once, drive in a snowstorm and open the shop on a day they are normally closed just so you can buy the perfect gift. They deliver the personal experience and customer service that you just can’t get from a mass retail outlet. 

Times have changed drastically for retailers since I started working in my Dad’s shop when I was 12. We didn’t have a cash register. I wrote sales slips by hand and actually had to count the change back to the customer. Credit cards were extremely rare. Lots of people wrote checks. Over the years credit cards became more abundant and the card companies wanted us to get voice authorization over the phone. Our store was in a funky old Inn in a tourist town in WIsconsin. There were six shops in the Inn and we only had one phone for all six shops and the one phone was outside the one bathroom we all shared. It led to many very comical situations and lines at the phone when more than one of us needed a credit authorization. Thankfully the owner of the Inn finally put phone lines into each of our shops, then a few years later credit card companies came up with machines we could use for authorization and cash registers became very affordable. The cash register now told me how much change to give back. By the time I was in college and working for some of the chain stores like the Gap, we had barcodes and scanning guns. When I started my own shop I went backwards a little. I had to go back to a regular cash register. I didn’t have bar codes until I had my shop for at least ten years. Then of course websites and social media became a thing. So here’s the thing about many small businesses…we tend to be the only employe or maybe we have a couple of part-time people helping us. Keeping up a website and keeping up with all of the social media is a full time job in itself. Many small brick and mortar shops started falling behind as people started shopping online. Many of us just couldn’t keep up, couldn’t compete with the big guys on price and many of us closed. The shops that survived adapted. They made doing business with them a memorable experience, they upped their customer service, they kept up with the latest technology. So every year at this time I jump on my soapbox and ask you to shop small and shop local. I realize that times have changed and that we live in a hectic fast paced world and that everyone wants everything to be convenient. Guess what? Most small businesses have websites so you don’t have to buy everything from Amazon. You can be a hero and support local businesses by shopping on their websites from the comfort of your home, car, office…wherever you like to shop!

So now I am going to shamelessly promote my three small businesses! I have made jewelry since the 90’s. I used to sell it at Art Fairs, then I had a small shop in Wisconsin. A couple of years ago I decided to ditch the snow and move south. So now I am back to selling jewelry at small art fairs. I also sell my jewelry through my social media channels and through my website! I also make a lot of custom pieces for people so if you have something in mind you can call me, email me, or private message me. I have been getting a lot of requests for custom pet name bracelets lately. Another bonus of shopping small is that we will work with you to make sure you get something great!

After running an accessories boutique in Wisconsin for 17 years I always said that my next retail venture would be something with pets. So after moving south I started Sir Woofalot. I carry some stuff for dogs and cats but mostly pet-themed products for people. T’s, sweats, hats, purses, jewelry etc. I do pop-up-shops in Virginia and North Carolina, and just launched www.sirwoofalot.com! Sir Woofalot has been a lot of fun for me and I hope it will be for years to come…don’t worry cat lovers…there is a Baron von Purr Purr too and we are seeking out and adding more cat merchandise daily.

My third business is a supplement company called The Natural Shopper (www.thenaturalshopper.com). We sell bee product supplements like bee pollen capsules, propolis capsules, and Royal Jelly capsules. We also sell bee pollen granules and our own proprietary blends like Total Bee Plus which includes pollen, propolis, Royal Jelly, and honey. A weight management blend and a joint care blend round out the products we currently carry. We also sell wholesale and private label if you or someone you know would like to carry our products. We are always looking for product suggestions and have been looking into skincare products, pet products, and possibly a small line of bee-themed gifts or jewelry that would benefit bee conservation.

I will be running promotions throughout the holiday season. I will be promoting them through the websites and through social media. Here is a link to a promotional video we made for Sir Woofalot. Check it out to see how you get a free custom bracelet made by me! Thank you for considering me for some of your holiday gifts or maybe even something for yourself!

Was a Door County Destination Bracelet on her list? I still have a few left…see images below.

How about an artisan made piece of jewelry?. Browse our website and pick out a special gift now!

Use the code DC 10 during checkout at our website to receive 10% off of your total order, PLUS tell me your favorite color in the special instructions box on the order checkout page and I will make a pair of earrings especially for you!

Priority 2-day shipping is always free. I also have a selection of purses, hats, gloves, and loads of charms that are not on my website. Private message me through my Facebook page here or call me at 608-469-0832 and I will be happy to send you pictures!

First and Last Time!

It has been a little over a year since I closed the door of my store Something Fishy. I wear my Door County Destination Bracelet every day as a reminder of the place I grew up, my store, and especially as a reminder of all of my awesome customers!

2018 marks the 10th anniversary of the Door County Destination Bracelet. In November I made the decision to retire the DC Destination Bracelet. No more are being produced. I do, however, have a few left in each size. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the bracelet I am putting them on sale for the first and ONLY time.

[CLICK HERE] and use the promo code dc10 at checkout to receive 10% off your purchase. We will also ship your purchase for free.

Thank you for being such great customers and friends over the years! Please go to the Bracelet page now for your last chance to purchase a bracelet. You may also call me on my cell phone at 608-469-0832 to purchase by phone. This offer is good until I run out of stock. I will keep you up-to-date on stock levels on my Facebook page HERE.

Thank You To All My Customers for your many years of patronage at Something Fishy, I miss you all!

Lisa